The potential hazards of dealing with gases can be held under control when products are handled correctly, their properties are understood and appropriate packaging is provided. Our safety instructions contain detailed information on a range of topics including oxygen deficiency, oxygen enrichment, handling acetylene, flammable gases, liquefied gases, toxic gases, gases under pressure, chlorine gas cylinders and oxygen pressure regulators. They also tell you how to store and transport gas cylinders safely.
The European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods (ADR) governs the international transportation of hazardous materials, including gas. The potential hazards of transporting gas can be held under control if products are handled correctly, their properties are understood and appropriate packaging is provided.
Our transport instructions contain detailed information on a range of topics relating to the safe transport of gases. Linde offers a timely and safe delivery of products. If you like, all the way to the point of use in your facility.
Our safety data sheets contain all the important facts and safety recommendations for handling gases. Safety data sheets are of central importance for your safety. They serve the user of gases and gas mixtures as a source of information and form the basis for instructions on appropriate protective measures. You can download our safety data sheets via the link below.
Material safety data sheets (SDS)
We have compiled a glossary of safety terms to help you understand more about safety issues when dealing with gases:
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | The lowest temperature at which a material will ignite and sustain combustion in the absence of a spark or flame. |
| Corrosive | A substance that erodes and deteriorates materials upon contact (this may include skin tissue). |
| Flame propagation | The spread of a flame outward from the source of ignition through a combustible mixture. |
| Flammable gas | Any gas that will ignite easily and burn rapidly. |
| Flammable limits | Flammable limits define the minimum and maximum concentration of vapour/gas in air or oxygen needed to make the mixture combustible. They are usually expressed as a percentage of gas or vapour in air. A change in temperature or pressure may vary the flammable limits of a gas. |
| Flash point | The lowest temperature at which a liquid will vaporise to form an ignitable mixture in air. |
| Frangible disk | Also known as a "burst disk", this metal safety device is designed to burst and allow gas to escape within predetermined pressure limits. It is intended to prevent devices from rupturing and functions in much the same way as a safety relief valve, except that it cannot be resealed. |
| Fusible plug | A fusible plug is a safety valve which has a core of metal with a low melting point. This core melts once a predetermined temperature is reached. It cannot be resealed. |
| Inert | Gases that do not react with other materials at ordinary temperature and pressure are classified as inert. They do not represent a hazard unless they are released in a confined space where they can displace oxygen and create an asphyxiating atmosphere. Adequate ventilation and monitoring of oxygen content in confined spaces minimises the risk of asphyxiation. |
| LEL | Abbreviation for Lower Explosive Limit. The lowest percentage of a gas in air capable of forming a flammable mixture. |
| Liquefied compressed gas | A gas which, under charged pressure, is partially liquid at a temperature of 70oF. |
| MSDS | Abbreviation for Material Safety Data Sheets. These documents describe the hazards of each gas or material. They also provide information on the safe handling of the gas as well as emergency and first aid procedures. |
| Oxidant | Gases that do not burn but support combustion are classified as oxidants. |
| Pressure or safety relief devices | Devices designed to prevent cylinders under a normal charge from rupturing when they are inadvertently exposed to fire or intense heat. |
| Pressure relief valve | A pressure relief device which is designed to open and close at a predetermined pressure levels. |
| Pyrophoric substance | A substance that will ignite in air at or below room temperature without requiring additional heat, shock or friction. |
| Threshold limit value - ceiling limit - (TLV-C) | The maximum concentration of a substance in air that should never be exceeded, not even instantaneously. |
| Threshold limit value - time weighted average - (TLV-TWA) | The average concentration limit of a substance in the air to which a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime, without adverse effect. It is based on an eight-hour workday or 40-hour workweek. |
| Toxicity | The ability of a chemical or gas to produce injury once it reaches a susceptible site in or on the body. |
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